The present invention relates to passenger-carrying transit systems which operate in a single guidelane dedicated only to the transit system and not shared with other vehicles; in which multiple passenger-carrying vehicles (hereinafter referred to as “tramcars”) operate in both directions along the single, dedicated guidelane; in which the movement of the multiple tramcars is coordinated such that oppositely moving tramcars only meet each other at a tram-stop boarding area, where passengers embark and debark the tramcars, and where a short bypass is provided in the guidelane enabling one tramcar to go around the other prior to, or after, passenger embarking and debarking is complete; in which the movement of the multiple tramcars is further coordinated such that oppositely moving tramcars always arrive at a mutual tram-stop boarding area at substantially the same moment; and in which this coordinated, synchronous arrival is maintained in spite of random delay events experienced by one or more of the tramcars within the system (caused, for example, by having to slow down or stop when other vehicles or pedestrians inadvertently encroach upon, or cross, the tramcar's guidelane.)
The principal benefit of the synchronous tramcar arrivals is a very high convenience level for system users. Without synchronous arrivals, passengers would board the first tramcar to arrive at any given tram-stop boarding area, but would then have to wait for the oncoming tramcar to also arrive before the car they had just boarded would be able to bypass and continue. This unpredictable waiting period would make the system feel inconvenient, and discourage ridership. Synchronous arrivals, in contrast, would make the system feel highly convenient and encourage ridership.
The above method of coordinating the movement of multiple, passenger-carrying tramcars in a single, dedicated guidelane is able to produce very high people-moving capacities for two reasons: First, since the tramcars do not share lane space with other traffic, they do not experience the delays of local traffic congestion. Second, at full capacity, tramcars arrive at the tram-stop boarding areas with very high frequency. While dual-guidelane systems can achieve equal people-moving capacity, the single guidelane method described has the following advantages: (1) capital costs are reduced since only a single guidelane need be constructed; (2) a smaller footprint or right-of-way is required since the method utilizes only one guidelane rather than two; (3) passengers are provided the convenience of being able to board a tramcar going in either direction from a single tram-stop boarding area;
Finally, the above method has a significant advantage over Automated People-Mover systems which, for reasons of public safety, must be elevated above, or otherwise separated from the possibility of pedestrian or vehicular intrusion into their guidelanes. In contrast, the above method—in which the tramcars are able to slow or stop in response to unpredicted, inadvertent pedestrian or vehicular guidelane encroachment—enables the system to operate safely on the same grade with, and in close proximity to, pedestrian and vehicular traffic.